The test
Mayhem Brawler Test, all the information on this new beat'em all scroller in the vein of Streets of Rage 4!
Gameplay and Heroes
For those who are regulars at Dm Gaming, you know that I like to start with this section in order to get directly to the heart of the matter. On the gameplay side, we are on a Beat'Em All, that is to say that you have to knock out all the enemies that come your way using combos and attacks. In Mayhem Brawler, you will not be disoriented, we find the common techniques namely attack, jump, special move, objects, but also some new features such as being able to block or firearms.
You can play as three Heroes, each of which has their own particularities, but which overall I find a bit too similar, and I would have liked more diversity in terms of heroes. However, the real higher level of gameplay is the bestiary. To have completed a large number of Beat'Em All and / or Scroller, I have never seen so many types of creeps with mostly different abilities, which will bring a lot to the gameplay. You will face mages, vampires, werewolves, criminals (and much more, I limit to avoid the spoiler) and will be able to suck your blood, teleport, send you plasma balls, etc! At the end of each level you will face a boss, who are quite nice but without transcending the genre either.
Once the level is successful, you can choose the rest of your adventure, which breaks the linearity of Beat'Em All and brings good depth to the game.
Gameplay rating 4/5
The three playable classes
Content and shelf life
Each level is a real success, especially for the mobs who live there. They will ask you to know their abilities well in order to be able to complete the game. You will have more than ten levels as well as a world each time associated, making you really want to browse it to find your boss and kill him. You can also start again in order to have different scenarios, I will detail this part in the Global Design section.
On the re-playability side, the emphasis is on the scenarios but also on the difficulty. Attention Mayhem Brawler is tough! It will take a lot of attempts to complete the high level campaign, and even more to complete Arcade mode. This game is therefore intended for those who want to have fun on it but also to players who want to try-hard.
It's just a shame that the number of classes is too limited!
Content rating 4/5
The choice at the end of the level
Global Design
Element that should mark you as soon as you start playing the game, its Comic book style design, and it is extremely successful. If you like this universe you will inevitably be won over by the artistic direction of Mayhem Brawler. The cutscenes are extremely clean and well done, although I'm not personally a fan of the twitter feed. The level choices are in the form of comics with a very nice jacket for each choice.
Music side these are well provided, there is no redundancy and each world and boss has its own music. Overall the original soundtrack remains very pleasant.
Design note 5/5
The very good artistic direction
| Most | The lessers |
|---|---|
| - Playable for 3 in local co-op - The remarkable bestiary - The level and choice system - BD design - New gameplay elements |
... even if the gameplay already known |
Without changing the Beat'Em All style, Mayhem Brawler brings a lot of very appreciable content that makes you want to play the game. It will delight all fans of the genre, but given the quality offered by the Hero Concept designers, I would have wanted more depth of gameplay at the Hero level. It is nonetheless a very good game and you will definitely have a good time!
I rated Mayhem Brawler 4.3 / 5
By Alchemists, August 2021
